Time, Patience, & Heart
by mercy4vr
Summary: DL of course. Short oneshot. A scene depicting Lindsay’s return to New York. Some very vague spoilers for upcoming ep 3x14.


**Disclaimer:** If I owned them, I would rent them out to the highest bidder and get really really rich. But since that isn't the case, don't sue me please.

**Summary:** D/L of course. Short oneshot. A light fluff scene of Lindsay's return to New York; some very vague spoilers for upcoming ep 3x14.

**A/N:** Okay, by now most of us know that following ep 3x14 Lindsay will be going to Montana to testify in a trial regarding the death of some of friends, but we don't know much more than that. I have no real spoilers about Lindsay's return; this little scene is purely from my imagination. Honestly, I don't think my scenario would ever light the fire for this show's lovely writers because it is just a light fluffy piece that was put to paper in 15 minutes. When the idea popped into my head, it was originally just going to be a little three of four sentence dream scenario that I was going to post on the D/L discussion thread on Talk CSI. However, my plot bunny realized that I was ignoring a potential story, got mad at me, and started to fight me for control. Well… the bunny won.

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**Time, Patience, & Heart:  
**_**Lindsay's Return**_

Danny sighed and stood up to stretch his legs after having been squatting down too long for comfort. They had been called back into the Central Park Zoo, the scene of yet another crime with another dead body to process.

"_Why can't these people just stay inside where it's warm, and quit causin' trouble?"_ He thought to himself, hunching his shoulders against the cold.

The zoo was closed for the winter with eight inches of snow on the ground, making processing a slow and arduous task. Danny pushed his glasses further into place with the back of his gloved hand and looked towards the direction of the tiger enclosures. Even though it was not visible from where he stood, he could remember every detail of the surrounding area. It was engraved in his mind along with the memory of when he had first met his Montana.

"Danny, have you finished processing the perimeter yet?" Mac said, noticing Messer's distraction.

With a slightly guilty look he replied "I'm still workin' on it, Mac."

Shaking his head to clear his mind, he walked over the the rock wall a few feet away and leaned down slightly to get a better look at the trace left on it.

Suddenly, a soft voice next to his ear said "Just take a deep breath. Don't let him know you're afraid because he can sense when you're nervous."

Danny jumped and whirled around.

"Montana!" he exclaimed loudly, stunned by her appearance, as she stood there smirking at him. He grabbed her up in a tight embrace and swung her around in a circle so her feet weren't even touching the ground.

"Danny! Put me down!" she yelled, though secretly enjoying his elated welcome. She was still worried about what kind of reception she was going to get with all they had been through, and all they had still to come.

"Danny, put her down." Mac said calmly, with a stern almost fatherly look. As always, he was the voice of reason but if you looked closely you would have seen the faintest echo of smile tug at his lips.

Danny reluctantly allowed Lindsay's feet to gently connect to the snow covered ground again. However, when he went to release her, she surprised him by briefly holding him tighter before pulling back.

Lindsay took a couple of steps away and turned towards Mac.

"It's good to have you back, Lindsay." Mac welcomed her.

"It's good to be back," Lindsay said. "It's funny how I really missed this city and all of you guys." she stated, glancing momentarily in Danny's direction.

While Lindsay and Mac had a short conversation about the traffic and pollution of the city, Danny took the opportunity to study her features, devouring her image as a starving man would devour a feast. What he saw pulled at his heart. To him, she was beautiful always, but the stress of the trial and the preceding weeks had noticeably taken its toll on her physically. She had dark circles under her eyes as though she hadn't been sleeping, and appeared to have lost some weight as though she hadn't been eating. He knew that the issues that surrounded them hadn't disappeared; they had only changed. But as she turned to him and gave him a grin, he found that there was hope to be had. She was here, back in his state, his city, his crime scene. She may have been worn down by the problems heaped upon her, but she had come back and was standing her ground with pride.

Lindsay picked up her kit and started walking towards the victim's body. She stopped and turned back to him. "You gonna stand there all day staring, Messer, or are we going to process the scene?" She shot an entertained look at him waiting for his reply.

He ran his fingers through his hair, which was already sticking out every which way, unable to keep the huge smile off his face. "First day back and you're already keepin' me in line, Montana?" He chuckled. He gestured to her to lead the way. "By all means, let's have at it, Ms. Monroe."

Mac couldn't help but look on approvingly. He didn't know exactly what was going on between his two CSIs other than his suspicions, but he did know they were always at their best when working together. Before Lindsay had gone to Montana, he hadn't had the opportunity to pair them together on crime scenes for awhile, so it was good to see them back in action now.

As they settled into processing, they bantered while they worked. Stealing glances at his Montana, Danny couldn't help but think it was good to have her back, not just physically, but in spirit as well. The past hadn't been erased, but healing had begun. The time separated had given both Lindsay and Danny the chance to understand that there was so much life to be had and so much love to give. Individually they had realized that with time, with patience, and with heart anything was possible. Perhaps with time, with patience, and with heart they would be able to share this realization with one another, and be able to heal each other.

_Finished, for now…_

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****A/N:** Reviewers are adored! (hint, hint) 


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